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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26476924">I think you're crazy (just like me)</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmeliaAndreas3/pseuds/AmeliaAndreas3'>AmeliaAndreas3</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>An Endless chain. [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>AU, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, District 7 (Hunger Games), Gen, Hunger Games-Typical Death/Violence, Johanna is a good mentor, No Rebellion, other canon characters mentioned - Freeform, these games are a little freaky, you know the drill</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-13</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 08:01:59</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,657</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26476924</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmeliaAndreas3/pseuds/AmeliaAndreas3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Simone Blackwell wasn't ready for the 96th hunger games, neither were the other tributes, or the mentors, or Panem itself. </p><p>The arena that year was... crazy.</p><p>Rated T for language: what, you think Johanna Mason can hold her tounge? Nah. Neither can Simone.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>An Endless chain. [11]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1468564</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I'm so hyped to write this one after I got rid of "Double"</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Are you ready for another glorious year of hunger games? I'm sure this year would be district 7's surprising victory!" Mandrake, the dumb, babbling escort that was <em>supposed </em>to help Johanna. But only got on her fucking nerves.</p><p>"I stopped giving a fuck back in the 88th games when Blight abandoned me, and I sure as hell ain't gonna give a fuck now, Mandick" she pushed past him to find her seat at the mentors line of consoles: always the furthest to the left.</p><p>Old friends like Finnick and Camilla were already positioned in their booth, Nina- the only other person to do this by herself- arrived a short minute later. </p><p>The main feed already showed Yelene Ackerman and Cornwall Cerrone talking excitedly for this year of games: promising that newly appointed head gamemaker Devon Rumpe will not disappoint on his debut year.</p><p>Johanna leaned back as she waited for her tributes to arrive, and for the gamemakers to show the goddamn arena. </p><p>The main feed came to life to see a not so clear picture of one's of the female tributes: the audience- and the mentors- saw just her shadowy frame. </p><p>At first, there was just darkness, no one could see anything. When suddenly, without warning, bright florescent lights all around the building that was the arena: squeaky clean white walls, a pile of knives and strange tools was positioned neatly on a wide table.</p><p>Around the table were positioned various white bags of supplies. In their semicircle, the tributes looked around, some were confused, some looked to their right and left with terror.</p><p>They all wore straight jackets. Their hands tucked into their body, besides that, they wore standard white shirts and pants. </p><p>Johanna leaned closer: <em>maybe I should pay attention this year...</em></p><p><em>"Well Deary me! </em>get ready for a truly <em>crazy </em>year" Yelene howled on the main screen</p><hr/><p>Simone was too busy keeping herself balanced with that damned jacket to look around her. The was no way she would go for the few packs in the middle. </p><p>The clock showed 10 seconds left, Simone prepared herself to run:</p><p>When the gong sounded, she got off the pedestal, her feet were shaking as she ran. Many confused  tributes ran besides her, struggling in their straight jackets. </p><p>Up ahead; Simone saw a grey door. <em>go, hide, run through this door, and hide. </em>She pushed her feet faster. </p><p>She shouldn't have, but she turned around to look. She regretted it immediately: The big bulky young man from Two ripped through his jacket, the first one to reach the knives while his fellow careers struggled to cut theirs open. </p><p>Two boy caught up to the girl from Nine and shoved his knife through her chest. The red looked so out of place as it pooled on the white clothes.</p><p>His district partner managed to set herself free, she grabbed a handful of knives. <em>Nope, nope, nope! </em>Simone bolted through the door and closed it behind her. </p><p>Simone found herself in a halway, the florescent lights hurted her eyes, bur she kept through it. Knowing any second now Two boy and the rwst ot the career gang will go hunting for her. </p><p>The hallway had many doors, she tried to open each one as quietly as she could: they all led to tiny rooms with bunk beds and a door that led to a bathroom. </p><p><em>Let's hope this will do. </em>She thought.</p><hr/><p>At night, Simone pulled the thick covers over her head, just in case anyone will come looking. </p><p>And she heard them, two careers running down the halway, searching for prey to catch. </p><p>The little, seemingly useless TV on the shelf across from her bed lit up, baring the seal of Panem and playing the usual anthem. 9 deaths at the cornucopia: Five boy, the two from Six, Avelon- her partner, The eight boy, The Nines, Ten boy and Twelve girl. </p><p>When she woke up, she found a trey with three fruits and a mushy grey thing that probably meant to be oatmeal. She still had nothing to cut the straight jacket with, and so the trey was useless, wether it was sent from the gamemakers or not. </p><p>As if Johanna heard her, the door opened mysteriously and a silver basket appeared, when Simone went to "grab" it, she could hear clicking heels moving down the hallway. </p><p>
  <em>So they have some people here to play doctors and deliver things to us, huh? Clever</em>
</p><p>after countless times playing with the knife, trying to cut the jacket off using her feet and mouth. Simone managed to tear through it. She kicked it off her, left with nothing but a plain white T shirt and loose white pants. </p><p>Simone ate the food in the trey carefully, looking for any signs of poison. But this food was a gift from the gamemakers.</p><p>At night she found another trey at her door. This time with some potatoes and rice with some chicken stripes. It's probably daily: twice a day. </p><p><em>Maybe</em>. Thought Simone<em>. I can use that. </em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Day 4 in the games: Simone finds a valuable weapon and the idea of a plan. On the eastern wing, The career pack runs into trouble.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The last two days did nothing for Simone, but two more tributes joined the fallen slidshow at night: Eight girl and Ten girl. </p><p>Finally; Simone managed to convince herself to explore the hallway and see what else is in this creepy asylum. She had nothing but the knife- which proved useful when she had to leave. </p><p>Simone closed the door behind her as silently as she could. The linoleum floor sent chills through the thin fabric of her "shoes". Simone kept on walking, opening the grey doors on either side of the hallway just little enough to look into the room, making almost no sound. </p><p>It seemed most of the rooms in this floor were just like hers: bedrooms- although "cells" was a much better description in her eyes. And she found no hidden tributes. </p><p>Quickly enough, she reached the end of the hall, that ended in a big, white double door. <em>With the supposed doctors hanging around, maybe I shouldn't open it. </em>she thought.</p><p>
  <em>Oh, fuck it, I'm exploring my surroundings, aren't I?</em>
</p><p>Simone took a deep breath and pushed the door just enough to sneak through.</p><p>She found herself in a big room- comparing to the bedroom she found, of course. </p><p>It was some kind of lab, or storage room, and it had several doors leading to fuck knows what. Simone instead decided to check the boxes and drawers around, maybe something is worth taking here. </p><p>After an excessive search, all Simone found was healing equipment she didn't know how to use- although some tools looked pretty fucking sinister- she opened a drawer lazily, not expecting to find anything...</p><p>Instead she found five syringes, with light blue liquid moving in them from side to side. <em>obviously some kind of poison, could be useful. </em></p><p>An idea formed in her mind: she looked around a bit more and found a plastic bag. Carefully, she slid the five syringes into it, running back to her bedroom. </p><p>She waited for the heel clicking that signaled the nurse's(?) Arrival. Outside her door, the supposed nurse put down her dinner tray. </p><p>Simome hurried to open the door to watch as the nurse skips a few rooms before putting another tray in front of a room not so far. </p><p><em>This is my chance. </em>Simone waited until the nurse dissapeared behind the white double doors and snuck down in front of the tray. Whoever's inside hadn't pick it up yet. Probably because they could still be wearing the straight jacket. </p><p>Simone hurriedly injected the blue liquid into the mushed potatoes, hoping whoever's inside wouldn't notice. Once she finished she quickly and quietly ran back to her room. Hoping the tribute hiding there hadn't heard her.</p><p>A canon shot woke her up with a gasp. Simone hesitantly opened her door to a crack, watching as two nurses carried a girl's body away from a room.</p><p>There was no mistake, that girl ate from the food Simone poisoned. Simone closed the door and leaned on it, collecting her knees to her chin. </p><p>
  <em>She was just in my way. There can only be one victor, and that victor will be me.</em>
</p><hr/><p>Its been so long since Johanna had to sit in the mentors room for this long, and honestly, she forgot how <em>boring </em>it could get. Especially when she had to stay off the alchohol for a long while. She could already feel her fingers twitching, itching for the usual fix. </p><p>"I saw your girl on the main screen earlier, she's really putting on a fight!" someone leaned on the frame of her booth, Finnick. "She's not afraid to kill, and it'll serve her" Johanna scanned the tablet again, another sponser request she was quick to authorize.</p><p>"Reminds me of someone I know" Finnick's smirk made her stomach twich again. <em>it was a hot fucking mess, what went between us. </em>she reminded herself. <em>besides, he's happier than ever with Annie, not having to entertain anyone.</em></p><p>
  <em>I should be glad to have him as a friend.</em>
</p><p>"Simone knows how to play the game" Johanna leaned back in her chair. "But hope is a dangerous thing. Your boy might end up slashing her in the end. No matter how much of a good player she is" </p><p>Finnick's smile faded. "Hope is dangerous, yes, but it gives you purpose; how long it's been since you spent more than 24 hours here?"</p><p>"Like, ten years? Fifteen years? Who's counting" </p><p>"See? It could be good for you to find purpose while you're here" </p><p>"When you come here alone for 8 years you're done with bullshit like that. I can watch and do some smooching to the fuckleheads, it might do good for me like you said, but ultimately she'll die, because the universe loves putting me on a rollercoaster: just when I'm feeling good and going up, and suddenly without a notice, I'm diving head first into bullshit" she spits. </p><p>It looked like Finnick was going to reply to this, but something stopped him. "Oh <em>Fuck! </em>Watch out for that doctor!" Exclaimed Jeremy Reese, district Twos mentor. </p><p>Johanna straighted up in her seat and looked to the main feed: Two boy and Two girl were now trapped between four doctors blocking their escape paths on both sides.</p><p>Johanna wasn't sure what the doctors <em>were </em>exactly, it was a major hot topic for discussion amongst the mentors for the past four days: Kala and James from Eleven, along with Finnick, claimed they were mutts. Jeremy and some of the other career mentors were convinced the doctors were just paid Capitol actors. Johanna didn't have an opinion on them besides <em>They are creepy as fuck. </em></p><p>On the main feed, one of the doctors spoke for the first time. "Patients aren't allowed outside of their sectors" his voice was pretty deep and even a bit metalic, which tipped the scale in the mutts theory's favor. </p><p>"What are you talking about?! This isn't an actual asylum!" Two girl snarls. </p><p>"Patients aren't allowed outside their sectors" repeated the same doctor. </p><p>Two boy tightens his hold on a wicked looking blade. "I think these are actually mutts, Cosima". Cosima brings her two matching knives in front of her. "Which way?" </p><p>Two boy charges at the doctor in front of him as Cosima runs for the doctor to his right, the one who talked. She stabs both of her knives on either side of his chest, but he seems barely impacted by this, because he grabs at her neck and throws her on the ground. "Patients aren't allowed outside their sectors" his hand still clutched her neck as she tried to kick him and free herself, gasping for air. </p><p>In the meantime, Two boy managed to strike down the other doctor right through the heart, which was probably the only way to kill the super realistic mutt. When he saw her, Two boy immediately tackled the doctor that was holding her down. Completely ignoring the other two doctors that came behind him </p><p>"Roy, behind you!" Cosima yelled out with whatever air she managed to take in. Roy turned to fight both of them while the doctor Roy tackled stood up, grabbing Cosima by her ponytail.</p><p>"Roy-!" Cosima managed to barely call out to her partner before the doctor shoved a fabric over her mouth and nose, forcing her to inhale the drug. Not two seconds later, Cosima was knocked out. The talking doctor picked her up bridal style and started walking over to a double white door. "Cosima!" Yelled Roy, but one doctor pulled out a tazer and the electric strings sent Roy down on his hands and knees. </p><p>"Tell the others, no patients allowed outside their sectors" the two doctors tossed Roy through the doors he came from, barely conscience. </p><p>"That was brutal" Johanna let out a low whistle. "Where do you think they're taking the girl? She's not dead <em>yet"</em></p><p>Finnick thought for a moment as the screen focused on Roy, who dragged himself a few feet in the pack's camp's direction. He looked other to the double doors with a pained expression just for a moment, before standing up shakingly and walking back to the pack.</p><p><em>They need someone to send the message to the other tributes.</em> Thought Johanna. </p><p>A minute later, the cameras pan to Cosima, who is strapped to a chair. She wakes up with a gasp, her eyes darting back and forth to check on her surroundings. Two doctors were tidying a bunch of tools on a tray. "Is this a part of the game?" Demanded Cosima to know. </p><p>"Patients need to know their place in this establishment. You will receive the full punishment for sneaking around" the mutt doctor was designed as a middle aged man, his eyes hollow and Recessed. "This isn't an actual asylum! It's just a humger games arena designed to look like that!" </p><p>The doctor hooked two electrodes to her head binding. he other one strapped a belt between her teeth. "you wanna play games Don't you?" the doctor signaled to the younger doctor to turn the dial on, and two electric currents hit Cosima at the same time. </p><p>Cosima wiggled in her bindings and screamed but the currents didn't stop, not until the canon fired and Cosima was leaning forward with her hair covering her face like some kind of rag doll. </p><p>No one in the mentors room spoke for what seemed like forever. The main feed moved to focus on Yelene and Cornwall: both commenters stared at the camera with a wide open jaw and a stunned expression. </p><p>Yelene was the first to collect herself, she moved her hand through her mint green hair and straightened up. "Well, it seems like our new head gamemaker isn't playing a regular game! I suppose viewer digression is adviced. Keep your kids away if you think they can't handle it!" </p><p>Johanna wanted to walk into Yelene's studio and kick her in the face: <em>it's not like the children in the districts have a choice.</em></p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>People that are alive:.</p><p>Alexandrite, Aurum (1)<br/>Roy (2)<br/>Emmi, Nate (3)<br/>Selena, Kai (4)<br/>Simone (7) <br/>Rana, Amren (11)<br/>Farrow (12)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Day 7: As Simone continues to sneak around, she runs into two interesting tributes with an even more interesting plan.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Simone snuck through the double white doors again with the three remaining syringes- she wasted one on a tray that was either left at the door or not touched by whoever was hiding in that bedroom. </p><p>She scanned the room for more, but to no avail. The doctors probably caught on to her scheme and purposely moved them. </p><p>Simone stared at the doors on the other side: <em>where are these leading to? </em>A part in her mind told her she didn't wanna know. <em>but fuck it! I can't stay in that damned room all day, I'm probably losing sponsers as we speak. </em></p><p>So she moved quietly through the doors on the other end, only to find herself in a lab: the room she was in had a big transparent window and another, smaller door that probably was the entrance to the lab. Four doctors were standing over something on the table, Simone ducked below the window to avoid being seen, but kept herself high enough to pick at it.</p><p>"This will straighten you up good, boy. It's the punishment we give them all" said one of the doctors, he moved to close to the wall and provided Simone with the view at whatever was lying on the table.</p><p>More specifically, whomever. </p><p>She didn't recognize him, and couldn't remember what district he was from, but he was lying there, cuffed and strapped to the table. </p><p>From what she seen, he was pretty thin, and had moppy blonde hair. Whatever district he was from, she didn't want to be in his situation. Before Simone managed to stand up and go back the way she came, the doctor that spoke before must've pulled some lever or something, because the boy started squirming in his cables, a faint scream echoed from his throat.</p><p>Simone pressed her hand to her mouth to keep herself from screaming too. </p><p>
  <em>Holy. Shit. The gamemakers aren't fucking around this year. </em>
</p><p>Simone crawled back through the door she came from, as soon as she was off the doctors sight range she started sprinting as far as she could back to her normal hallway. She hesitantly put her ear close to the door frame that lead to the "starting point" (she wouldn't exactly call it the cornucopia, since there was no cornucopia) </p><p>She heard nothing, no laughing voices, no talking.. it's like the careers weren't even there. </p><p><em>They probably are. They're just being really quiet to catch idiots like you if they come closer. </em>A voice that sounded like Johanna's echoed in her mind.</p><p>Nevertheless, Simone opened the door to a crack and took a peek:</p><p>There was no one there. </p><p>
  <em>not ones you can see, dumbass. </em>
</p><p>Simone pushed through her fear and moved quietly across the big room. Nothing left there but some syringes on the starting table, just like the one she was clutching in her hand. </p><p>She gladly took them all, when she noticed another door just like the one she ran through back at day one. It probably leads to a different wing with a halway just like hers. </p><p>Simone moved carefully through the door: she was correct, a similarly lit hallway with various doors and two big double white doors at the end. </p><p>Near the end of it, a nurse dropped two trays next to the same door, Simone stuck to the wall in hopes the nurse wouldn't notice her.</p><p>
  <em>These doctors and nurses went from creepy to fucking terrifying after what I saw. </em>
</p><p>After the nurse left, Simone snuck close to the trays, injecting the regular mashed potatoes with the poison. As she pulled out another syringe, she heard the footsteps, the door was about to be opened any second. </p><p>Simome jumped up to open the door from across, closing it just as someone picked up the trays. <em>Did they see her?</em></p><p>"No, I saw nothing" said a male voice, probably in response to a question from the other person in the room. </p><p>Simone waited until she heard the door closed behind the boy's back before she opened hers, just as she started walking, she heard their voices from behind the door: "wait, here, Em, take this tray" said the boy from earlier. "Why? Its not like it's different than the one I took" </p><p>A moment of silence before the boy answered. "Well, this one has more mashed potatoes and fresher chicken strips but I guess I can take-" </p><p>"Fine. I'll take it" said Em. Simone continued to sneak down the hall when the canon fired. She expected whoever it is that survived to run out of the the room so she rushed her steps. She reached the door to the starting point just as the room door closed behind someone.</p><p>"Dick move. But I like it"</p><p>Simone turned hasitly to find the boy she heard earlier, standing with his arms crossed. "You gave her the tray with the poison" said Simone, dumbfounded. </p><p>"Yeah"</p><p>"But you <em>Knew </em>it had posion in it. Why didn't you say anything?"</p><p>"For the same reason you poison people's trays. To get out of here" the boy raised an eyebrow. "That's why you're doing it, right?" </p><p>"Well duh. I don't kill because I like it" Simone spat. </p><p>"You're from district 7, right? What's your name?" The boy took a few steps closer. "Simone. You?" </p><p>"Nate" he puckered his lips. </p><p>"District?"</p><p>"Three" </p><p>"So you're supposed to be smart. If you are, you'll stay away from me" Simone sent a hand to the bag with the poison syringes.</p><p>"What's in the bag?" Nate asked curiously. "Like I'd tell you" she frowned. </p><p>"We can make this a beneficial deal." Nate took four more steps closer. "You have something up your sleeve, so do I, we can both benefit from it" </p><p>"What is your plan?"</p><p>Nate chuckled. "I won't tell you. At least not for now, but I will ask you this: how much have you seen of the asylum?"</p><hr/><p>"Don't do something stupid enough to trust that boy" Johanna sighed, leaning her elbows on the keyboard. </p><p>"I'm sure if you ask Remus what he thinks Nate is planning, he'll know" Nina half leaned on the table. At the little hours of the night, there were very few mentors in the mentors room, besides her and Nina, there were only four: Wheeler, Finnick's guy, that Remus kid and James Trojillio. </p><p>Nina only came because she didn't feel like going back to the tribute center after her last meeting. Actually, according to Nina, that was also the reason these other four victors are here right now. To forget their round.</p><p>Sometimes, Johanna wondered what it would be like if she hadn't said no, if she didn't flat out refused Snow's "offer" and hadn't brought on her little brother a horrible death. It would've been nice to have Tyler by her side in those lonely hours at the victors village.</p><p>It was the most selfish thing she ever did, saying no, and every time she saw the younger ex careers (and Nina) pull through round after round just for their loved ones' sake, she felt the guilt twisting inside her. <em>You are a cowardly, self centered bitch. </em></p><p>Finnick reassured her time and again that she should be glad to not take part in the circle, that Tyler is better off with her parents, instead of knowing what she would've had to do, instead of being qualified for the reaping when he would've turned 12. </p><p>But she knew these were said in attempts to make her feel better. </p><p>Nina monitored the screen. "They sleep in different rooms, smart". Johanna nodded. "They don't trust eachother. And they shouldn't"</p><p>"You're waiting for him to prove he's trustworthy" </p><p>"Me and Simone both. He better show some kind of resourcefulness, otherwise Simone wouldn't hasitate to take him out"</p><p>"You have a lot of faith in her" Nina's dark eyes glanced over her.  "Mmmm. You're right, I do. Maybe it's cause she reminds me of myself a lot. And I was smart enough to survive. She doesn't mind going on the offensive- in a sophisticated way, I might add- and she's pretty damn good at surviving." Johanna puckered her lips. </p><p>"How are you so sure?" </p><p>"Wow, Fitzgerald, way to ruin my attempts at being hopeful" </p><p>Nina chuckles. "You? Hopeful for a tribute? That's pretty new" "you're pretty new at this, aren't you, Fitzgerald?" </p><p>Nina punched her Shoulder. "I'm getting used to it" </p><p>"You're gonna be fine, right?" Johanna's face softened for the Nineteen year old victor who already been through so much. Nina needed someone, since Johanna had no one, she took her under her wing.</p><p>Maybe it was something they both needed. </p><p>"Yeah, I think I'll go back to the tribute center to sleep off before another round tomorrow" Nina blew a strand of black hair from her face. "I'll see you tomorrow, good luck!" </p><p>Johanna turned her attention back to the screen, Simone opened her door to a crack just so she can watch over Nate's closed door. Nina was right, maybe she <em>Should </em>talk to that Remus kid.</p><p>"Hey, nerdy boy!" Johanna called out to the district Three station. "Since they are technically allies, you should come sit here" </p><p>Remus Ian turned with a hasitant expression behind his thick glasses. Considering his options and probably trying to figure out her laid back expression, that other victors, Capitol reporters and fellow district7 people thought were kind of scary.</p><p>"C'mon. I don't bite" Johanna rolled her eyes. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Day 9, Johanna discovers something about Simone while the Capitol sends their crew to the districts to film the final 8 tributes' interviews. </p><p>In the arena, Nate shares some of his plan with Simone.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Been a little while since I updated. But I hate unfinished works so here we go Im gonna push forward now.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"What do you mean there's no one to interview her?" Johanna leaned back in the break room chair. That babbling idiot Mandick was freaking out on her over the phone.</p><p>"It means, Johanna, that there's no one in the district she's related to, her parents are apparently dead, she has no siblings- this is a disaster!" </p><p>Johanna stopped listening, growing up on her own was something she was familiar with: in district Seven, wood chopping accidents tend to happen. People don't notice or they don't care and it gers people killed.</p><p>It got her parents killed once upon a time. </p><p>In hindsight, this was a good thing, that they died when Johanna was so young. It gave her- and Simone too- the drive that was needed to win these games. </p><p>And it gave much less leverage for that snake bastard of a president when he told her to be a prostitute. </p><p>"Any friends or something that the crew can talk to?"</p><p>"Not apparently! Although with that girl's stoic attitude, I wouldn't be surprised" Mandrake scoffed. "Well then, tell the crew to ask around. It's not like she lived like a savage in the woods, she might've known some people" Johanna sighed. </p><p>"What kind of interview do you think it is?! We want people to cheer for Simone, we need to get to know her behind the poison syringes and this weird alliance she has with Nate. They barely talk! What kind of alliance is that?!" "An alliance of two smart tributes, That's what it is" Johanna spat in return.  </p><p>Mandrake probably continued to blabber but Johanna already hung up. Just as Nina returned with the scotch bottle and two glasses from the sponsers den. </p><p>"Thank you! I don't think I can get through Mandick's bullshit sober anymore" </p><p>Nina poured the liquid into both glasses. "My Amarantha is amazing. Sorry you have to go through this" </p><p>Johanna allowed herself to drink in quiet. She didn't want to, but she found herself continuing to think about Simone. "Is it true your girl doesn't have anything back home?" Asks Nina.</p><p>Johanna nods. </p><p>"That's...tough. what are you gonna do if she comes out?" </p><p>Johanna thought back to their conversation last year, when young victor Nina was in shambles over mentoring alone. "I told you I'd treat anyone lucky enough to survive this fuckfest with respect, didn't I? I know exactly what's Simone's life has been, maybe that can be a thing we'd have in common. To tell you the truth; she makes me hopeful again every day that passes. And I feel like these games won't last for very long anymore" </p><p>Nina downed her glass and quickly poured another. "Do you trust Remus' guy? Nate?"</p><p>"Of course not. Simone is not stupid either. But he has a trick up his sleeve. They've been searching for some room for two days now, I have a feeling they are close" Johanna cast a look towards the open door of the mentors room: you could Elio and Amethyst's yells even from the break room. </p><p>She wasnt ready to go in yet.</p><hr/><p>"Care to tell me what room are we even looking for?!" Simone hissed at her so called ally. "Shut up, you'll alert the nurses over there" Nate hisses back.</p><p>They were hiding behind an equipment table, hoping the tall pale nurses in blue dresses won't notice them while they cleaned and tided the tools. </p><p>Ten minutes passed before the last nurse closed the door behind her, and it was safe to go out. "That was a close one" mumbled Simone. "Where do we go from here?" </p><p>"That way" Nate pointed at a door the opposite way of where they came from. "It's the only lead we haven't checked out" </p><p>Simone stopped in place. "How about you tell me just a little bit of your plan?! If not for me, I'm sure the audiance would <em>love </em>to hear it" </p><p>Nate licked his lip as he thought for a second. "Let's just say I'm looking for the electricity storage room where all the cameras are. Might even work some district Three magic on them. Find out where the careers are hiding" </p><p>A canon fired in the distance. "See? Now it's us against the careers. You have a weapon and you're not afraid to use it. That's why I asked you to come. Happy?" He pinched his nose, sighing to himself. </p><p>Simone crossed her arms. Finding the control room would be a way to turn the game around entirely. Would the gamemakers like it? Will they even allow her and Nate to find the damn room? </p><p>"Fine, solid plan. How can I help?" </p><p>Nate looked away from her. "Start by going through that door, C'mon!" He grabbed her wrist and pulled her through it. </p><p>The two found themselves in yet another hallway, but short this time. Only one metal gray door stood at the end of it. "Think this is it?" Simone raised her eyebrows. "It has to be. Ready your weapon" said Nate urgently. </p><p>Simome gripped one of the syringes tight. The weight of the knife in her pocket filled her with additional sense of security. </p><p>Nate pulled the door open quickly and they both rushed in: Inside the dimly lit room they found.. no one. </p><p>"Are you sure this is the room?" Asked Simone. Nate ran his fingers across the computers. "Yes, see those screens? it shows every room with a security camera. It's what I was looking for" </p><p>"There's no way they would just.. keep it abandoned, right?" </p><p>"Maybe the gamemakers wanted us to find this room" Simone wondered. "Maybe. Stand guard anyway" Nate sat down next to one of the screens. "Those careers won't see this coming" </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Nate and Simone are honed in on the career pack's position, but the gamemakers aren't done playing.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"See the pack on the top left corner camera?" Nate points to camera 7 at the top left corner: Four boy and Four girl stood there, weapons drawn, gaurding the horde of sponser bought supplies. Down camera 10, the Ones were running in the corridor Simone used to stay back at the beginning of the games. </p><p>"Look" One girl's voice sounds weird over the security camera. She pulls out the remains of Simone's straight jacket. "Whoever it is managed to get free" </p><p>"She can't be far" argued One boy. "We'll find her, and whoever else is left" </p><p>Simone chuckled to herself knowing they will never do. </p><p>On Camera 14, Two boy was scouting a lab too close to their position in Simone's opinion. It seemed like Nate noticed it too. "What are we gonna do?" She asked. "Hopefully the nurses around wil get to him first, we just have to stay as quiet as we can" Nate replied.  </p><p>"Are you planning on doing anything?" Asked Simone.</p><p>"I was hoping I can turn off the electricity in their sections, that'll make the games more interesting for us."</p><p>"How about you do that; I'll continue to keep watch incase Two boy gets any closer" Simone clutched the syringe for support. </p><p>Nate's fingers hovered over the keyboard and they wires surrounding them at all sides. He turned to her and winked before everything went black. The constant buzz of the machines around them stopped. </p><p>"Nate, you idiot! You turned off the electricity in our section as well!" </p><p>She couldn't see him in the dark, but she did hear him gasp. "I- didn't do anything yet" he replied. </p><p>"What do you mean you didn't- Oh" Simone raised her knife in preparation. "What? What do you mean"</p><p>"You didn't shut down the lights ans electricity, but the gamemakers did. It's some sort of a goddamn arena event" she muttered. </p><p>Even in the dark she could imagine the worry on his face. </p><p>Her entire body froze in fear when she heard the door being opened.</p><p>"This is a mendatory evacuation system, please come with us" never in her life could Simone imagine the words sounding so terrifying, as the nurses swarmed into the room. </p><p>Someone grabbed her wrist with an iron grip, Simone immediately shoved the syringe at whatever point she could feel, but the grip didn't loosen, and the nurse's voice sounded just right next to her ear: "this is a mandatory evacuation procedure, please come with us" </p><p>With a stretch of her hand, Simone reached for the knife, in a moment of terror she screamed as she slashed blindly at the things in front of her, she heard the sound of flesh being cut, and a scream- a human scream, that followed. </p><p>
  <em>Oh shit, Nate!</em>
</p><p>Simone turned to the nurse dragging her through the door, the hallways were lit with dim red emergency lights, she could see the silhouette of the nurse grabbing her. "No, no! Let me go" she screamed. Slashing and tearing the nurse's blue uniform dress, but since the mutt had no flesh, she never drew blood. </p><p>The nurse's grip was tighter, and Simone planted her almost bare feet on the ground, dragging the nurse to a stop, but even with Simone resisting her as best as she could, the nurse was still stronger. "Let. Me. Go!" Simone slashed her knife at the back of the nurse's head, the nurse gave one simple push, and Simone hit the ground, hard.</p><p>The hit sent waves of pain through all of her back, she felt as if the nurse could dislocate her shoulder any moment as she was dragged on the floor, trying her best to stop the nurse from reaching one of those torture rooms she found. </p><p>A canon fired, and than another.</p><p>
  <em>Concentrate! she's a mutt, she was created to serve one purpose and that is to intimate and maybe kill you, they have tunnel vision. Like robots, throw them off balance and they are done. </em>
</p><p>Simone pushed her knees close to her chest, and with one big push, brought her legs right in the nurse's feet, tripping her over. With the last bits of her strength, she sat up and shoved the knife where the mutts spine would be, even close to where her heart should.</p><p>The mutt stopped wiring and struggling, going limp on Simone's lap.</p><p>At first, she heard nothing but her heavy breaths.</p><p>And then another canon fired, and Simone could hear the sound of running feet. <em>must be Two boy. </em>She pushed the mutt off of her and hurried through the hallway, hiding behind the open door of the security room as two doctors carried away a body on a stretcher. </p><p>Nate's body.</p><p>
  <em>The scream I heard.. could I possibly hit Nate instead? Did the other doctors kill him?</em>
</p><p>She hoped it was the latter. </p><p>When she no longer heard anything coming from the corridor, she decided it's safe enough, the red emergency lights weren't much help, and they made the asylum feel even scarier. Simone's knuckles turned white as she gripped her knife. </p><p>When she got back through the lab Nate and her passed through earlier, she saw nothing but two dead mutt doctors. </p><p>Carefully, she quietly moved through the hallways of the eastern wing, she picked a random room and buried herself underneath one of the blankets, sobbing quietly. </p><p>That night, the shitty little TV showed One boy, Nate, and Four girl. Which left her with three other careers of her own to outlive.</p><p>For now all she wanted was to sleep, but the day's events playing on repeat in her head made it impossible. </p><p>She clutched the knife tight beneath the blankets as she waited for the night to pass.</p><hr/><p>"Oh my fucking 'makers" muttered Nina as they both sat in the Seven booth for night 9. </p><p>"Yeah, Simone was lucky to be able to get free" Johanna didn't take her eyes of the main feed ever since Simone's fight was broadcasted on it several hours ago. Now the feed showed Roy and Alexandrite, holding on to eachother. Roy was black and blue all over, and the girl had dry blood covering her white clothes, and a black eye. She was sobbing softly into his chest, he didn't seem to mind.</p><p>She killed her own district partner without even realizing, the blackout was unexpected, then the nurses and the doctors swarmed in, everyone had a weapon, and everyone were scared.</p><p>Johanna felt like it was her responsibility to apologize for Remus about Simone fatally injuring Nate and leaving him to die slowly. </p><p>"This new head gamemaker isn't fucking around" Johanna sighed. </p><p><em>Tommorow would be a fatal day for Simone's future.</em> <em>Tommorow. </em>thought Johanna. <em>a victor would be crowned. </em></p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>In the bloody mess of yesterday, a new day rises, of the last four tributes, a victor is crowned.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Johanna awoke to the sound of a canon, and Amethyst Wheeler's yell. "What is wrong with your tribute, Jeremy?! I thought he wanted them to end this between them!" </p><p>It wasrt hard to decipher what happened, but johanna still looked to the main screen, to see Roy taking out a bloody knife out of the sleeping Alexandrite in his lap. <em>smart kid. </em>Thought Johanna. </p><p>"How's your girl doing?" Once again she looked up to find Finnick leaning over her booth. </p><p>"She's.. a bit shaken. I sent her some quality food last night in the little hours, guess we both couldn't sleep much" Johanna focused on Simone's screen, finally, after staying up for so long, the girl was asleep, a new mutt nurse put a breakfast tray outside her door. </p><p>"She needs to wake up and pick that up. Selena is out there looking for her" says Finnick. </p><p>As if on que, Four girl- Selena- entered Johanna's screen range, Johanna swore loudly: "wake up! Wake the fuck up!" </p><p>Selena obviously noticed the tray outside the door, the lock on it was enough to stall her as she rustled with it, making enough noise for Simone to wake up and immediately jump into a readying stance, the knife was all she had, no more poison syringes as she lost all of them yesterday in the blackout. </p><p>But Johanna saw the look in her eyes, she might not be a trained fighter, but she will not go down without a fight.</p><p><em>I like her. I like her a lot. </em>Johanna leaned closer just as Selena managed to break down the door.</p><p>"Great" says Simone. "Now you doomed us both by alerting Two boy with all that noise" </p><p>"It's okay, you won't live long enough to face him in the finale" says Selena menacingly. Simone twirls the knife in one hand, it's nothing compared to the Four girl's twin swords, but it was something.</p><p>Simone waited for the girl to make the first move just so she can duck behind her and kick her off her feet. Selena immediately recovered from that, and Simone had a hard time dodging both her swords, she tried to kick one, but it only made things worse as Selena managed to lie Simone on her back, her two swords marked an X to her neck. </p><p>Johanna gripped Finnick's hand tightly, it didn't matter who he cheered for, it was clear Simone's journey was nothing but a hopeful mistake. </p><p>Just then Simone set her knife free and slashed a cut long and painful enough for Selena to loosen her grip on her left sword.  That was all Simone needed, rolling to the left and trying a tripping move once more, shoving her knife onto whatever flesh possible, her eyes closed. </p><p>Then she heard a canon, and stopped. "Good for you, Jo. I'm.. gonna help Atalanta with the mourge" said Finnick quietly. </p><p>"The final battle isn't gonna be until the afternoon. If you want we can grab lunch with Nina downstairs" she called after him. "Wonderful, I'll be there" he called back.</p><hr/><p>Simone finaly dared to open her eyes, but when she did, all she saw was red. And the Four girl's body was no longer there. </p><p>She let out a small wimper, and heard the <em>clank </em>of the knife hitting the floor after her shaking hands dropped it. </p><p>She killed someone.</p><p><em>You already killed someone, dumbass. </em>Johanna Mason's voice chuckled in her head. <em>Several people, actually.</em></p><p>No. The poison syringes were something else: it wasn't direct, it was.. painless. The Four girl screamed each time the knife struck her. </p><p><em>Stand up. </em>Commanded Johanna. <em>Go wash yourself in the bathroom. </em></p><p>Simone forced herself to listen and went to the little bathroom. In the sink mirror she saw the red splashes covering her hair and face, she scribbed herself until her skin twitched in pain, until the water turned red, than pink, then back to transparent. </p><p>Until there was not even a little drop to remind her what she did. </p><p>The next few hours were agonizing to wait, Simone knew the gamemakers want the people in the district to watch her battle with Two boy during mandatory hours of the afternoon, but with nothing to do, she decided to stray the hallway, watching the lab at the end of it, the mutt doctors came and went, and there on a table she saw her objective:</p><p>More poison syringes. </p><p>"There you are!" She heard someone call out not from afar. </p><p>Two boy stood at the edge of the hallway, holding a sword in front of him with two hands. </p><p>"Is it time already?" She asked no one in particular. </p><p>"Yeah, the whole nation watching!" Informed Two boy. "There's gonna be a victor tonight, but good for you for making it this far, girl" </p><p>"Good to know" said Simone and in one swoop, slipped through the lab's double doors, ignoring the mutt doctors around. She dove behind the table with the syringes, grabbing one along the way. </p><p>From her hiding spot, she heard Two boy bursting through the doors, and the slash of his sword cutting through mutt doctors. </p><p><em>All I need is to get closer and stick the syringe on a vein. </em>She clasped the syringe hard and closed her eyes. </p><p>
  <em>Please, if anyone above exist, please help me get through this nightmare. </em>
</p><p>Two boy finished his run through all the doctors. And from her peeking spot, she could see he was angry. "Come out wherever you are girl! We have a victor to be crowned!" </p><p>"Let me guess" she kicked the table towards him in attempts to slow him down. "You think it's gonna be you?" </p><p>"Oh, you're feisty" Two boy shook the hit from the table and jumped over it. "I like it. That's a trait of a true tribute" </p><p>She ducked a stab attempt. Two boy took it as a personal sign. He threw the sword. "I don't need this to kill you" he grabbed her wrist the same way the nurse did yesterday. Only her pulled her close to him, wrapping his arm around her in a headlock, Simone suddenly felt light as air continued to slip away from her. </p><p>But he didn't restrain the hand that was holding the syringe. </p><p>Simone stabbed the syringe into the arm that was blocking her air and he pulled away immediately. "What.. did you do to me?!" He choked. </p><p>For the first time she got to see the poison's effect directly: Two boy immediately began choking, gasping for air as the area where she injected the poison with turned pink and blister filled. It must've taken the poison seconds to travel through the bloodstream. Blood and foam started dripping from Two boy's mouth, and with one last groan, he fell.</p><p>And the canon fired. </p><p>At first, there was just silence, than came the announcement, but Simone still stood still, shocked and afraid to even move. </p><p>The double white doors opened, six mutt doctors entered. Four of them began closing in on her, she immediately grabbed Two boy's abandoned sword before she realized they were there for Two boy's body.</p><p>Two mutt doctors stayed at the entrance, and made way for a man with curled orange hair and a swiriling face tattoo from his right eyebrow to the left corner of his mouth. He wore a purple vest and a black button up shirt beneath his doctor's robe.</p><p>"Miss Blackwell, do you know who I am?" He had the same robotic tone as the rest of the mutts, but his voice sounded a bit more.. playful. "No" she muttered. </p><p>"My name is Devon Rumpe. I'm the new head gamemaker, or at least, this is what I look like in real life" he gestured at himself top to bottom. "I'm here to escort you to the courtyard of our arena so you can be taken back to the Capitol in the hovercraft, if you please follow" </p><p>Simone could run after him if it meant leaving already. But the fact this was the man behind this nightmare was chilling, so she strolled behind, watching the mutt doctors closely until they reached the courtyard. </p><p>The sun was setting when the stepped foot outside, and Simone took a moment to feel it again after Ten days inside. The three mutts stayed down as she was pulled up the ladder and to the hovercraft.</p><p>Inside waited more people in doctors robes, and every instinct in her body told her they were after her. She couldn't shake the feeling they were mutts, it was only after one of them used a needle to prick his finger and bleed that she agreed to be checked. </p><p>Johanna was waiting at the landing zone, the wind whipping her short black hair into her face. "Listen, I don't really do hugs. But you definitely need this one, and I'm not asking" Simone let herself melt into her mentor's embarce, after all, it was the first time she felt a hug in years. </p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I suppose Simone winning wasn't much of a spoiler due to Nina's oneshot i posted right before this work. </p><p>I admit, I had other visions for how this work could've looked like. But its a mediocre vibe work.. nowhere near "its a long long way" "Otrera" or even "The ember" (happy one year anniversary to that work lol).</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I have no idea how to translate the word for the jacket that ties people's hands so sorry for the countless variations of the word in this.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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